Insurance fraudster gang jailed for bus crash for cash scam

There have been many weak attempts to claim undeserved insurance payouts over the years – but few can match this for sheer dramatics.

According to a Daily Mail report, 19 fraudsters have been jailed for a bizarre scam that saw them feign falling over on a double decker bus and then claim injuries.

The report states that the gang boarded an Arriva bus together at a bus stop that is rarely used at Ferrybridge on the journey between Knottingley and Wakefield. A short time into the journey, the bus was hit from behind by a Nissan Micra driven by one of the gang members and this prompted those on-board to feign falling over with one member of the gang allegedly performing a “Superman dive” through the aisle of the bus.

Bystanders were reported to have looked on bemused at their antics as they demanded ambulances but struggled to control their laughter. The defendants later made accident claims for soft tissue injuries and whiplash that would have cost insurers around £140,000.

CCTV footage later revealed that other people on the bus were merely jolted on their seats and litter and debris on the floor did not even move during the incident.

Speaking at Leeds Crown Court, David Dixon, for the prosecution, remarked that “the acting by the defendants is so bizarre that it makes it plain that this was a group-planned dishonest activity as part of an insurance scam.”

It was later discovered that the gang knew each other as searches were made on their social media accounts. Jail sentences ranged from 12 to 21 months for those involved.

Since the referendum on 23 June 2016, there has been a lot of uncertainty in many sectors, but for the UK's insurance and long-term savings industry, the largest in the EU and third largest worldwide, the shockwaves are likely to be felt for some time